A $22 million city investment in the Red Bird Mall redevelopment is up for a vote of the Dallas City Council Wednesday.
The money would come in the form of city grants and loans to fund infrastructure, including roads and utilities for new development around the old mall.
It would support a $157 million mixed-use development of apartments, new retail and office space constructed in the sprawling mall parking lots and renovation of the old mall.
After purchasing most of the Southwest Center Mall more than two years ago, developer Peter Brodsky has completed other transactions to assemble 78 acres of land for the project at Highway 67, Interstate 20 and Camp Wisdom Road.
The mall will be returned to the original name, Red Bird. The state plans to build a new I-20 freeway feeder road adjacent to the project which will provide new access to the property.
Brodsky said the goal is to create a new environment that would revive the mall and attract new customers and residents to the area.
“You have to have other things there that will draw people to the site, and that's places to live, places to work, places to go to the doctor, a park, restaurants, entertainment. Things that you're not going to do on Amazon,” Brodsky said.
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Dallas City Council Members have strongly supported the project in the past.
The property is in District 8, represented by Tennell Atkins, who has been involved in several unsuccessful past efforts to revive Southwest Center Mall.
It is adjacent to District 3, represented by Councilman Casey Thomas. His signature project is called “Rebirth of Red Bird” for the push to help neighborhoods north of the mall.
The Red Bird area including the mall project is a key portion of Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings’ Grow South initiative.